During the late Republic and early Empire, the new woman' made her appearance. This was a wife or widow of means who took part in life outside the walls of her house, including wider society, business and extra-marital affairs.
In the first century A.D. a "new" kind of Roman woman appeared whose provocative dress and decorum departed radically from the image of modesty that epitomized the traditional wife or widow. How did the early church respond? In this fascinating book Bruce Winter explores for the first time the impact of the new women on Christian wives and widows living in the early Pauline communities. Combining sound knowledge of the Graeco-Roman world and of Paul's writings, Winter shows how changing social mores of women -- changes that even drew sharp responses from Roman legislators and teachers -- help to explain controversial texts in the New Testament. According to Winter, in the Roman world you were what you wore. Grasping this underlying reality it crucial to understanding what was at stake in Scriptures in 1 Corinthians that addresses marriage veils, discussions of dress code and the activities of young widows in 1 Timothy, and Titus's call to older women to instruct new wives. Based on close investigation of Graeco-Roman society, this book makes significant contributions both to our understanding of first-century life and the social background of the Bible.
This sourcebook fully exploits the rich legal material of the imperial period, explaining the rights women held under Roman law, the restrictions to which they were subject, and legal regulations on marriage, divorce and widowhood.
'Perpetua shouted out with joy as the sword pierced her, for she wanted to taste some of the pain and she even guided the hesitant hand of the trainee gladiator towards her own throat' Lives of Roman Christian Women is a unique collection of letters and documents from the third to the fifth centuries, celebrating Christian women from across the Roman Empire. During a crucial period in which Christianity transformed from a persecuted faith to the official religion of the Empire, these writings reveal the women who chose to dedicate their lives to Christ, by embracing martyrdom or by adopting a life of poverty and prayer, renouncing not only wealth but also their duties as wives and mothers.
'At 49, Lidou is in his prime, a prosperous builder of houses in the Central African Republic and the proud husband of two beautiful wives, Ndongo Passy and Grekpoubou. The only cloud on his horizon is the recent onset of impotence, for which he persuades a pharmacist friend to get him some pills. The day after his first dose, Lidou has a heart attack and drops dead, which gives his opportunistic cousin Zouaboua the chance to accuse the two newly-widowed women of poisoning Lidou, so that he can snatch his cousin’s property out from under their noses. If they’re going to keep what’s rightfully theirs, Ndongo Passy and Grekpoubou must fight with all their might against a backdrop of corruption in which bribery oils the wheels of society, eroding decency and loyalty. It’s a weighty topic in many ways, but Adrienne Yabouza writes so lightly and colourfully that this is a delight to read.' Alastair Mabbott in The Herald
In this book Bruce Winter explores the varied responses of the first Christians to requirements to render divine honors to the Caesars as the conventional public expression of loyalty to Rome and its rulers. How did they cope with the culture of emperor worship when they were required to give their undivided loyalty to Jesus? First examining the significant primary evidence of emperor worship and the enormous societal pressure the first Christians would have faced to participate in it, Winter then looks at specific New Testament evidence in light of his findings. He examines individual cities and provinces and the different ways in which Christians responded to the pressure to fulfill their obligations as citizens and participate in the conventional expressions of loyalty to the Roman Empire.
Although there are many books on women in the ancient world, this is the first to explore in depth what life was like for women in the period of late antiquity (3rd to 6th centuries AD) once Christianity became the dominant religion. It is also unique in focusing on both pagan and Christianlifestyles. Dr Clark provides a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to the basic conditions of life for women: marriage, divorce, celibacy, and prostitution; legal constraints and protection; child-bearing, health care and medical theories; housing, housework, and clothes; and ancient, somestill influential, theories about the nature of women. The author uses a wide range of source material - both Christian and non-Christian writings, art, and archaeology - to illustrate both what life was really like and the prevailing "discourses" of the ancient world.